Following his first year in office, Mayor Friday Ellis announced the kick-off of the Downtown Monroe Strategic Plan with the goal to revitalize and capitalize on Monroe’s assets. This Strategic Plan intends to identify specific initiatives designed to increase downtown livability, encourage private sector investment and job creation, spur public interactions that contribute to a unified vision and become a catalyst for the continued growth for many years to come.
Since August 2021, Campo Architects has worked with the City to listen and collaborate with the community and its stakeholders in the development of a shared vision for the future of Monroe. The Strategic Plan is divided into 3 phases: Phase 1 – Inventory & Assessment, Phase 2 – Community Engagement, and Phase 3 – Implementation.
Phase 1
The Downtown Strategic Plan will be conducted in three phases. Phase 1 was completed at the close of 2021, and the initial findings and supporting information are published below.
![COM](https://oneroe.city/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Screen-Shot-2023-01-11-at-11.37.43-AM-1024x609.png)
![COM](https://oneroe.city/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Screen-Shot-2023-01-11-at-11.45.00-AM.png)
Desiard Street has a repetitive vacancy that interrupts the public’s willingness to linger. The active storefronts that attract visitors are regularly clustered at the North end and become more sparse moving towards the Ouachita River. Other storefronts may appear vacant to a passerby due to poor facade treatment, lack of sidewalk programming, and lighting.
![COM](https://oneroe.city/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Screen-Shot-2023-01-11-at-11.45.06-AM.png)
Discontinuity in activity leads to limited pedestrian travel. Pedestrians, especially tourists, may find a lack of curiosity to continue exploring and may question their safety because of the lack of others on the street. The breaks seen in the rhythmic gold and black line (pedestrian route) following Desiard St. is representative of a visitor’s walking experience.
![COM](https://oneroe.city/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Screen-Shot-2023-01-11-at-11.45.13-AM-668x1024.png)
Highly trafficked intersections of vehicles and regional trains can cause a safety concern and disruption of pedestrian-oriented experience or avoidance altogether by someone commuting on bike.
![COM](https://oneroe.city/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Screen-Shot-2023-01-11-at-11.45.19-AM-e1673459497517-644x1024.png)
Bus Stop While Monroe offers public transit into downtown, the abundant amount of parking (often free parking) distracts from the possible pedestrian, biking, or public transit commute.
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These are the latest statistics regarding the development of Downtown Monroe. These analytics are updated on a weekly basis.
LAST UPDATED: 11/15/21
Industry of Employment
Top 3 Industries:
- Healthcare
- Education
- Business
Distance of Residence from Downtown
Top 3 Categories:
- 5 miles or more
- 3 miles
- within 1 mile
Frequency of Downtown VIsitation
Top 5 Categories:
- Weekly
- Monthly
- Everyday
- Yearly
- Never
Strength of Downtown
Ordered from highest to lowest:
- The people
- Affordability/Cost of Living
- Sense of community
- Density
- Education
- Culture/arts
- Diversity
- Opportunities
- Inclusion
- Safety
Recommendations for Downtown Improvements
Top 3 Categories:
- More restaurants / bars / coffee shops
- More family friendly activities
- More cultural attractions
Cultural Features of Monroe
Top 3 Features:
- Riverfront
- Special Events / Festivals
- Landmarks / Historic Sites
how participants heard of this survey
Top 3 Categories:
- Social Media
- Poster / Coaster
- Word of Mouth
Age of Participants
Under 21 | 2.34% |
21-25 | 9.24% |
26-35 | 27.09% |
36-45 | 22.66% |
46-55 | 17.36% |
56-64 | 10.84% |
65+ | 10.47% |
Gender of Participants
Male | 41.50% |
Female | 55.44% |
Other | 0.25% |
Prefer not to answer | 2.71% |